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; PATENT OFFICE.

ADAM LUNGE on NEW YORK, N. Y.

, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT EDNVARDS, OF SAME PLAOE.

ELECTRIC GAS-LIGHTING BURNER.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters retent ve. 290,441, dated December 18, 1883- Application filed April 6, 1882. (N model.)

.To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ADAM Li'rNoEN, of the clty, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Gas-Lighting Burners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to that class of electric gas-lighting burners such as shown in aformer patent issuedto me J anuary 21, 1881, N 0. 243,344, in which the movable electrode operates a gas-valve on the burner and at the same time moves into and out of contact with the opposite electrode, so as to simultaneously turn on the gas and produce a spark to ignite the same. In burners of this class, as shown in the instance stated, the movable electrode usually vibrates in a vertical arc, and the valve-plug has usually been arranged with its axis transverse to the axis of the burner, and the movable electrode has been rigidly connected with the valve.

Now, in my present improvement the movable electrode vibrates in a horizontal arc tangent to the burner, and the valveplug is arranged parallel with the burner, and the device for operating the movable electrode also acts as the device for operating the valve and passes through or is operatively connected with the valve, but with a limited play in its connection. By this constructionit follows that when up this play, and in so doing raises or advances the point of the movable electrode within range of the quiescent electrode, and the further motion of the same causes the valve to open and the electrodes to at first contact and then snap apart, thus turning on the gas and producing a spark to ignite the same, while when the operating device is moved in the rethe operating device is moved it at first takes motion for turning on thegas. The features here outlined constitute the main points of my invention, as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, Figure lpresents aside elevation of my improved burner, shown 5 5 in its quiescent position with the valve closed and the movable electrode in its retired position. Fig. 2 is a similar elevation with the parts in the position in which the valve is open, and the electrodes on the point of breaking contact to produce the spark to light the issuing gas. Fig. 3 is a. vertical section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on 00 w.

I11 the drawings, a indicates the body of the burner,which is made in about the usual shape, adapted to screw at its base onto the gas-fixture and to receive at the top the usual lava jet-tip b, as illustrated. The hollow or interior of the burner is, however, divided across it its middle by the partition 0, which prevents the direct passage of the gas through the burner, and from the side of the burner c0- incident with the partition a hollow lug or valve-casing, (1, projects. This lug d is bored 7 5 with a vertical conical socket to receivea conical valve-plug, e, which is thus arranged with its axis vertical and parallel to the body of the burner, as will be understood. The wall of the burner is perforated with ports ff just above and below the partition 0, thus forming communication between the upper and lower chambers of the burner through the valvesocket;.and it will be noted, on reference to Figs. 3 and 5, that the valve-plug e is formed with a recess, on one side on a level with the ports f f, so that when the plug is turned so that the recess becomes coincident with the ports a free passage is allowed for the gas to flow through the burner to the jet tip, as illustrated in Fig. 3; and when the round side of the plug is turned into coincidence with'the ports, the gas will be shut off.

The fixed or quiescent electrode is indicated by h, and has preferably the form of aspring- 5 tongue, and rises from a ring i, which is fastened around the neck of the burner but insulated therefrom, as best shown in Fig. 3. The point of this electrode projects laterally from the tip of the burner on about a level with the base of the jet-slot, as will be understood from Figs. 3 and 4, and this electrode is preferably of negative polarity, the negative battery-wire being connected with the insulated ring '5, as usual, while the positive wire of the battery connects with the gas-pipes. Now, the movable electrode, which is usually of positive polarity, is indicated by 7:, and is in metallic connection with the body of the burner, and hence in electrical connection with the positive pole of the battery. This electrode is preferably a springy or elastic tongue of wire, which is ailixed to and projects from the tip of an operating-rod, m, which rod passes through a central bore in the valve-plug c, as seen best in Fig. 3. This rod is a free or loose fit in the bore of the valve-plug, but is operatively c011- nected in its direction of rotation with said plug. The connection, however, is not rigid, but allows a limited spiral play between the two by reason of a short oblique slot, 12, on the neck of the valve-plug, with which a pin, a, projecting from the rod, engages, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2. The rod m projects some distance below the burner, and is terminated with a knurled knob, 0, or other grasping device, by which the rod may be seized and turned, as will be understood. The positive electrode is formed of a wire or ribbon of springy metal, preferably coiled at one end into a spiral and fastened to the top of the rod 112, with the other end projecting free and vertically from the rod in a position analogous to a crank-pin, as shown best in Figs. 2 and 4. It will hence be seen that if the red at be turned, it will. rotate the positive electrode in a horizontal are, as shown best by dotted line in Fig. 4, and it will also be seen that the point of the negative electrode projects across this are, so that the positive electrode will thereby contact with the fixed electrode at a certain point in its arc of motion, as will be readily understood. New, on reference to Fig. 1, it will be noted that when the parts are in their positions of reposethe gas-valve being shut and the positive electrode in its retired position-the gravity of the operatingrod on will cause its pin a to lie at the bottom of the oblique slot 1), and when in this position the tip of the positive electrode k terminates on a plane a little below the tip of the negative electrode h, so that if the positive electrode were to be rotated while in this position it would fail to contact with the negative electrode, being out of level range therewith, as will be understood. It will be seen, however, from Figs. 1 and 2, that the oblique slot 1) inclines upwardly in the direction in which the rod is rotated to open the valve and bring the electrodes into contact, and hence when the operating-rod m is grasped by the knob 0 and turned in this direction, the play of the pin a in the slot 1) will first be taken up and the pin will ride up the inclined slot, and in so doing will bodily raise the rod a short distance, and thereby raise the tip of the positive electrode into a level range with the negative electrode, as seen in Fig. 2, at the same time moving the positive electrode in its horizontal'arc toward the fixed electrode. \Vhen the pin arrives at the upper end of the slot, the further rotation of the operating-rod will of course turn the valve-plug in its socket, thus opening the gas-passage and permitting the flow of gas from thej ct-tip, and at the same time bringing the electrodes into contact, as seen in Fig. 3, so that by the time the valve is fully opened the positive electrode will be finally snapped past the negative electrode, thus successively closing and breaking the circuit, and thereby producing a spark across the issuing gas-j et, which ignites the same, as will be readily understood. If, after the gas is thus turned full on and ignited, it be desired to turn the gas down to any required extent, it may be readily done by turning the operating-knob 0 in the opposite direction, so as to partly close the valve, without any possibility of bringing the electrodes into contact in the reverse direction, for it will be noted, as before described, that when the parts are at rest the pin a will gravitate to the lower end of the slot 12, (see Fig. 1,) and bring the point of the positive electrode below the level of the negative electrode; and when the knob and rod on o are turned in the direction to close the valve, the torsional strain will simply tend to hold the parts in this position, and thus positively keep the electrodes out of engagement during the reverse motion to turn down or extinguish the gas. This feature forms a prominent advantage of my invention, for there are few existing burners of this class which admit of reversing the valve to turn down the light without bringing the electrodes into contact, which contact on the reverse motion would be very objectionable, as it would be likely to be constant for a long time, or as long as the gas was leftturned down, and would be thus likely to exhaust or polarize the battery, which, as used in gas-lighting, is generally of the opencircuit class, adapted only for momentary or intermittent closure, as will be understood.

The other prominent advantages of this burner lie in its compactness, and its simplicity and certainty of construction and action, which are due chiefly to the arrangement of the valve and electrode operating device in parallel line with the burner, and the arrangement of the movable electrode to rotate in a horizontal are, or on an axis lateral to but parallel with the axis of the burner, or nearly so, as will be easily appreciated.

I generally prefer to make a hinge-joint in the operating-rod m just below the valve, so that the lower part will hang freely pendent below the gas-fixture, and will readily swing in any direction, yet always remain in positive rotary connection with the upper part.

It may be readily seen that one important advantage of operating the valve and electrode by a rotary motion on a vertical axis is that this motion will not strain or injure fine or delicate chandeliers, as is often the case with burners of this class which are operated by a down-pulling motion.

What I claim is- 1. Anelectric gas -1ighting burner constructed with a rotary valve-plug controlling the flow of gas, a rotary electrode andarotary manipulating device for operating the same, all arranged 011 an axis in line to or parallel with the burner, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. An electric gas lighting burner con structed with a valve controlling the flow of gas, and a fixed or quiescent electrode, in combination with a movable electrode, and a device for operating the same, which is also operatively connected with the gas-valve, with a limited play in its connection, whereby the motion to open the valve takes up the play and advances the point of the movable electrode into engaging range with the quiescent electrode, while the reverse motion to extinguish or turn down the gas causes the movable electrode to retreat out of range with the quiescent electrode, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, in an electrical gaslighting burner, of a quiescent electrode, a rotary gas-valve, and a rotary electrode with a rotary operating device common to .said rotary valve and electrode, and so arranged that go when revolved in one direction the valve is opened and the point of the rotary electrode advanced spirally to engage the opposite electrode, and when revolved in the opposite direction the valve is closed and the point of the rotary electrode retreated out of engaging range with the opposite electrode, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with a gas-burner, of a quiescent electrode, and a rotary valve-plug with a rotary electrode, and a device for operating the same passing loosely through said valve-plug and connected with said valveplug by an operative connection admitting of a limited spiral play between them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination,in an electric gas-lighting burner, of a quiescent electrode, h, and a rotary frictional plug with a rotary electrode,

and a device for operating the same passing through said friction plug and connected thereto by a projection on one part engaging a spiral slot on the other part, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ADAM LUNGEN, Witnesses:

GHAs. M. HIGGINS, M. J. LEONARD. 

